2012-01-01

How many levels for next ASE?

I have a poll question for all of you.

Here's my dilemma:  I wanted to produce a supplement covering levels 2, 3, and 4.  That way, people can really start playing without having to worry too much about their players reaching un-published levels.  It also lets me kick off the third supplement with the 5th level's subterranean city of Under-Miami, which is a nice starting point from an aesthetic standpoint.

But, at the rate my own players are progressing, they won't be reaching level 4 for several months.  So it will push the release date out into the summer, because I'm not going to publish something that isn't playtested to some degree (not that it is possible for me to playtest every single encounter in a megadungeon).

The alternative is just levels 2 and 3, which would get released in late February or early March, depending on how quickly my players move along.

I don't know the right answer, so I'm leaving it to a customer poll:  do you want to see fewer levels sooner, or more levels later?

9 comments:

  1. Hmm, that's a tough call. On the one hand, levels 2-4 sounds like a natural collection and might make a better product, but given that it might not be until the summer (and with my experience in software development of the accuracy of estimates, probably later), I would say to go ahead and release 2-3 so that level 1 is more playable. As is, I haven't wanted to use level 1 yet because I don't want to have to improvise level 2 before it comes out.

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  2. Fewer levels sooner - my players are about 1/3 of the way though the first level. Too much longer and I will have to make up the next level myself!

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  3. I agree with the posters above. I've held off running this for the same reasons that Brendan mentions. Thanks for asking!

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  4. Yeah I agree. Get levels 2 and 3 out the door sooner rather than later.

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  5. We've been running ASE once a week for a couple months, excluding the holidays, and only just recently cleared out the dungeon. Another level or two along the same lines would certainly tide us over for a few more months. I may be biased, since we're starved for content and enjoyed ASE a lot, but I agree, less levels sooner.

    It may be worth noting that I'm a player, not a DM, and have to do very little work in order to enjoy ASE. =)

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  6. Instant gratification? Hmmm. Maybe combine two levels with content the characters have encountered outside the ASE dungeons?

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  7. More levels mean more map options. One of the cool things about Thracia was the complex 3d maps. You had to go down and then back up again, slides down 2 levels, inaccessible areas, etc.

    As long as you plan ahead then 2-3 seems ok, however I would strive towards this more complex 3d mapping style.

    Oh, and I still want to have your children.

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  8. I just followed your blog... My first one. I purchased ASE1 and love it. I voted for 2 and 3.

    I have not gotten to DM ASE1 yet as my current group is to high level but I'm going to soon.

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  9. Personally, if I'm going to buy a megadungeon, I would be much more likely to purchase a product that had more content/levels. So my vote is for more levels later.

    I bought ASE 1 a few weeks ago, and I have to say that the thing I love most about it is the setting (and things like the unique monsters that help flesh out the setting). I haven't had the chance to run it yet, but at the least bits and pieces of it are going to show up in future games I run. Even some that don't use a version of D&D.

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